Academics
Clinics
Clinical legal education programs permit law students, acting under faculty supervision, to develop legal skills and learn professional values in actual practice settings. At KU, students can now choose from 13 different clinics and externships. Our menu of experiential education courses allows students to choose to learn in a variety of settings; it also has meant that each student who wishes to enroll in a clinic or externships has been able to do so at least once.
The clinical courses at KU come in two varieties. Our "in-house" programs involve students in client representation from offices at the law school, with full-time faculty and staff attorneys employed by the law school acting as supervisors. Our externship programs allow students to work under the supervision of attorneys, judges or legislators in the community. Each externship program also includes a classroom component taught by a KU faculty member.
Criminal Prosecution Clinic
Suzanne Valdez
(785) 864-9268
suzmac@ku.edu
The Criminal Prosecution Clinic is the school's oldest externship program. The clinic assigns students to work at various local prosecutorial offices, the Kansas Attorney General's Office and the offices of the United States Attorney. Student interns assist prosecutors in virtually all phases of the criminal justice process, including criminal trials and appeals. A weekly classroom component accompanies the fieldwork. The clinic is open to third-year law students for the fall/spring semesters. Applications for the Fall 2012/Spring 2013 clinic are due Friday, March 9, 2012. Students may also enroll in the summer program. Both second- and third-year students may be considered for placement in the clinic during the law school's summer program. Applications for the Summer 2012 clinic are due Friday, April 20, 2012. The uniform application cover sheet should accompany applications.
Elder Law Externship
Sandra Craig McKenzie
(785) 864-9229
scm@ku.edu
Students in this clinic work under the supervision of attorneys from Kansas Legal Services in matters such as income maintenance, access to health care, housing, and consumer protection. Students also enroll in the Elder Law Research Project, in which they help prepare materials for the Kansas Elder Network, an Internet accessible database on elder law and gerontology. Students enroll in the fall and spring and receive three credits per semester for the clinic, and one credit per semester for the Elder Law Research Project. Download an application.
Externship Clinic
Joyce Rosenberg
(785) 864-9295
jrosenberg@ku.edu
This clinic provides students an opportunity to perform legal work under the supervision of a practicing attorney at approved governmental agencies, as well as nonprofit legal services organizations and nonprofit public national and international organizations. Students will work a specified number of hours per week under the supervision of a practicing attorney, complete a goals memorandum, maintain weekly journals of their experience, participate in online discussions, and write a final reflective paper. For more information on the clinic, read a summary of the requirements. The application for the Summer 2012 clinic, with a cover sheet, is due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, 2012. Participants in the Summer 2012 clinic must attend a mandatory orientation on May 14, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. in Green Hall (room TBA).
Supervising Attorney Manual (PDF)
Immigration/Asylum Law Clinic
David Gottlieb
(785) 864-9213
gottlieb@ku.edu
Students collaborate with the instructor on appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals. Individual students, or teams of students, supervised by the clinic director, also prepare research reports in response to requests from lawyers and other policy makers. The clinic is designed to acquaint students with issues and procedures in immigration cases and to provide instruction in legal writing, research and analysis. The course will be offered in the fall only for two graded credits. In addition to the fieldwork, there will be several introductory class sessions. Applications for the Fall 2012 term are due prior to enrollment. Priority will be given to applications completed by Friday, March 16, 2012. Download an application
Judicial Clerkship Clinic
Pam Keller
(785) 864-9274
pkeller@ku.edu
Students in this clinic serve as law clerks for state and federal trial judges. Students prepare memoranda and assist their supervising judges in various phases of the judicial process. A classroom component accompanies the fieldwork. The summer program is open to students who have completed only their first year of law school; students enroll in both summer sessions and earn three credits per session. Fill out the application for summer Judicial Clerkship positions. The fall-spring program is open to 2L and 3L students; students must enroll in both semesters and earn three credits each semester. Fill out the application for fall and spring Judicial Clerkship positions.
Legal Aid Clinic
Charles Briscoe
(785) 864-5564
cbriscoe@ku.edu
This course involves students in representation of indigent citizens of Douglas County in a variety of legal settings. Students represent clients in domestic relations, landlord-tenant, other civil actions, and serve as public defenders in municipal and juvenile courts. They are supervised by faculty and staff attorneys at the law school. The program is open to students who have successfully completed four semesters of law school. Students enroll in the course for two consecutive semesters and receive four credits per semester in fall/spring, and five credits in summer. Enrollment may occur in the fall, spring and summer. Download an application.
Kansas Supreme Court Research Clinic
Christopher Steadham
(785) 864-9242
csteadham@ku.edu
This clinic serves the dual goals of providing students with practical research experience and assisting the Kansas Supreme Court by providing needed research support. Students are assigned research projects from the Kansas Supreme Court and the Office of Judicial Administration as arranged by the instructors. Students employ a variety of methodologies to conduct thorough research and concisely convey their findings to the Kansas Supreme Court, culminating with a presentation to the court at the end of the semester. A brief application is required to be considered for enrollment.
Legislative Clinic
Burdett Loomis
(785) 864-9033
bloomis@ku.edu
Students are assigned as interns to state legislators during the legislative session. In addition to their fieldwork, interns participate in a seminar on the legislative process and write research reports. The clinic, open to second- and third-year students, is in the spring semester. No application is required. Students enter the clinic by following standard enrollment procedures for: Law 955: Legislative Clinic.
Media Law Clinic
Mike Kautsch
(785) 864-5377
mkautsch@ku.edu
Supervised by the clinic director, students respond to questions from lawyers, policy-makers, publishers and others concerned with mass communications. The students analyze law, policy, regulations and ethics relating to the First Amendment and diverse media technologies. The clinic, open to second- and third-year students, is in the spring semester. No application is required. Students enter the clinic by following standard enrollment procedures for: Law 959: Media Law Clinic.
Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic
Eunice Lee-Ahn
(785) 864-9245
eleeahn@ku.edu
Students provide legal assistance to patients at the Southwest Boulevard Family Health Care Clinic, JayDoc Free Clinic, Health Care Access Clinic, and the University of Kansas Medical Center. Students are supervised by attorneys and faculty in providing legal services to low-income patients of partner medical providers. No particular area of law is emphasized. Cases may include health law, family law, housing law, public benefits law, employment law, disability law and immigration. Students work directly with medical providers improving patient care by addressing social determinants of health. Students enroll for a full year (3 credits per semester), and work at one of the two legal offices. One office is at Family Health Care, 300 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kan. The other office is at the University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, Kan. Download an application.
Interested students should visit www.medical-legalpartnership.org to gain a better understanding of the medical-legal partnership model. Work at the clinic involves collaboration between physicians, nurses, social workers, attorneys, paralegals and law students.
Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies
Jean Phillips
(785) 864-5571
phillips@ku.edu
Students in the Project for Innocence and Post-Conviction Remedies represent state and federal prisoners in appellate and post-conviction litigation in state and federal courts. The course is taught by law school faculty. Students enroll for two semesters, for four credits total per semester or for five credits during the summer. The course is open to second- or third-year students and satisfies the upper-level writing requirement. Criminal Procedure is a co- or pre-requisite. Download an application.
Public Policy Clinic
Jennifer Schmidt
schmidtj@ku.edu
Students enrolled in this clinic undertake thorough, in-depth policy studies in response to requests from public officials. Requests for balanced studies are coordinated through the Legislative Research Department and the Revisor of Statutes Office. The course is open to second- and third-year students in the fall semester. No application is required. Students enter the clinic by following standard enrollment procedures for: Law 976: Public Policy Clinic.
Tribal Judicial Support Clinic
Melanie Wilson
(785) 864-0359
mdwilson@ku.edu
Students are assigned research projects from participating tribal courts. They provide research assistance to tribal court judges and personnel in projects that range from tribal code development, legal research and drafting of legal memoranda and judicial orders. The clinic is open to students that have taken Federal Indian Law; Sovereignty, Self-Determination and the Indigenous Nations; or Native American Natural Resources Law. This clinic also satisfies the Tribal Lawyer Certificate Program internship requirement. No application is required. Students enter the clinic by following standard enrollment procedures for:
Law 998: Tribal Judicial Support Clinic.